As of today, there are approximately 650,000 granite shops in the U.S., out of which, around 40% do not pass the Health Department's minimum requirements for airborne dust elimination. A major natural component of sand, quarts, granite rock, and other similar working material of granite shops/stone fabrication is crystalline silica; which if inhaled in excessive amounts can lead to serious health complications. Grinding, cutting, routing, chipping, polishing, or drilling on granite and other stones which may contain silica can release said mineral into the air resulting in health hazardous conditions for the surrounding workers and personnel. Breathing excessive amounts of crystalline silica can lead to silicosis, a potentially fetal lung disease. Furthermore, personnel with silicosis are more susceptible to other respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis. Worker health concerns have led to the implementation of regulations which control and minimize the amount of airborne dust in stone fabrication shops and similar processes.
Various methods for the reduction of dust have been invented and are currently available for establishments within the industry. One of the methods is the incorporation of ventilation devices into fabrication tools and processes. As can be expected, ventilation devices can only cover a certain amount of area and as such are limited to the amount of the dust that may be captured. Another method is the use of respirators in the work environment; these are effective but require the implementation of respirator programs in each establishment which comprise fit-testing, cleaning, maintenance, supervision, training, and written procedures which result in substantial costs and time commitment. The most effective and popular approach is exposing the dust to water, which binds with and suppresses the dust; this includes using water-fed tools and or the incorporation of water flow at the point of operation.
The existing dust collectors and water-based tools such as grinders and polishers, eliminate approximately 70% of the dust caused by the fabrication. The remaining 30% remain airborne in the production area and can lead to health complications in the surrounding workers and personnel. It is the object of the present invention to introduce an apparatus for eliminating dust produced by center fed based stone fabrication machines. Center fed based machines deliver water to the point of contact through a channel inside the arbor wheel. Traditionally, the water runs from the reservoir, through the wheel arbor, and drips out of the middle region of the cutting wheel to eliminate dust directly at the point of contact. While this may seem highly effective, the design does not take into account various dust particles raised at the sides of the wheel and trapped around the perimeter of the wheel. The present invention acts as a diffuser and redirects the water to all sides of the cutting wheel and in result covers a larger area with water, thus eliminating substantially larger amount of dust when compared to traditional designs.